Rack structure with mobile frames having tiltable buckets

ABSTRACT

A rack has pairs of substantially horizontal rails supporting a plurality of mobile supporting frames, for pasta products, which are arranged in the rack in two stacks. Each frame includes a plurality of superposed and individually tiltable buckets. The upper stack comprises empty frames and the lower stack comprises filled frames. An elevator means at one side of the rack moves the frames one by one downwardly from the upper stack to the lower stack with each bucket being filled with pasta products as it moves past a filling device. An elevator means adjacent the opposite side of the rack moves the frames one by one upwardly past a bucket emptying device for discharge of the bucket contents to a conveyor or the like. While the frames may be moved manually along the rails, stepping means preferably are provided to operate in synchronism with the other apparatus elements to shift the frames one by one along the respective rails. As each bucket is tilted to empty its contents, its pouring lip moves along a baffle to prevent falling out of the contents until the pouring lip is aligned with a hopper for receiving the discharged contents.

United States Patent 1 Friedrich Sept. 3, 1974 [75] Inventor: Egger Friedrich, Niederuzwil,

Switzerland [73] Assignee: Gebrueder Buehler AG, Uzwil, St.

Gallen, Switzerland [22] Filed: July 27, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 383,052

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 10, 1972 Switzerland 11823/72 [52] US. Cl. 214/164 C, 214/161 B, 214/301, 214/317, 214/701 R [51] Int. Cl. B65g l/06 [58] Field of Search... 214/164 C, 16.1 B, 16.1 BA, 214/302, 301, 317, 701 R Primary Examiner-Robert J. Spar Assistant ExaminerR. B. Johnson Attorney, Agent, or FirmMcGlew and Tuttle [5 7 ABSTRACT A rack has pairs of substantially horizontal rails supporting a plurality of mobile supporting frames, for pasta products, which are arranged in the rack in two stacks. Each frame includes a plurality of superposed and individually tiltable buckets. The upper stack comprises empty frames and the lower stack comprises filled frames. An elevator means at one side of the rack moves the frames one by one downwardly from the upper stack to the lower stack with each bucket being filled with pasta products as it moves past a filling device. An elevator means adjacent the opposite side of the rack moves the frames one by one upwardly past a bucket emptying device for discharge of the bucket contents to a conveyor or the like. While the frames may be moved manually along the rails, stepping means preferably are provided to operate in synchronism with the other apparatus elements to shift the frames one by one along the respective rails. As each bucket is tilted to empty its contents, its pouring lip moves along a. baffle to prevent falling out of the contents until the pouring lip is aligned with a hopper for receiving the discharged contents.

l7 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures MRI-N8 PATENTEB SE? 3 PATENTEB 3 I974 SHEET 5 0f 8 PAIENTEUSEP 31914 I 3.333.133

sum not a RACK STRUCTURE WITH MOBILE FRAMES HAVING TILTABLE BUCKETS FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to silos for cut pasta products, and of the type having a very large number of supporting frames which are arranged in a rack in two stacks.

Pasta products are pressed through a mold characteristic of the respective type of pasta product, and are then fed, in different lengths, to a dryer. Before they are transferred to a packaging machine, they are stored in an intermediate chamber.

As known to those skilled in the art, particularly long forms of pasta products, like spaghetti, are very sensitive to breakage. Even minute forces result in destruction of the dry product. Long pasta products are usually placed over supporting bars after leaving the mold. A mechanical conveyor conducts the supporting bars gently through the dryer in a path depending on the method.

Neither the packaging machine industry nor the consumer will tolerate a high percentage of broken pasta. For this reason, spaghetti are normally left hanging on the supporting bars used for support during drying, and the bars are arranged close together in a special device. In this way, hundreds or even thousands of supporting bars are stored. While the very large number of supporting bars presents, in itself, no special technical problems, there is no economic justification for a magazine with 8,000 10,000 supporting bars.

It has therefore already been tried, occasionally, to store the pasta in relatively large silo-type hoppers. In a known arrangement of this type, a large number of hoppers, held in mobile supporting frames, are arranged in a full stack and in an empty stack. The production methods for the pasta require machines with different rhythms. In order to compensate for these different rhythms, all containers can therefore be filled and stacked in the supporting frames up to the given moment of use, on one side of the rack.

After a supporting frame is emptied, it is slightly lifted with the empty box and placed on an inclined track extending parallel to a full box, from where it is returned by gravity to the stack of empty boxes. The storage boxes have a special cascade construction to protect the spaghetti as far as possible. Thus, between two vertical walls there are arranged alternately wall projections which extend slightly over the middle. The length of these cascades corresponds, in the horizontal, to the length of a single spaghetti. The spaghetti are filled from the top into the box and roll or drop from a wall projection onto the next lower projection and till the space without any marked breakage, starting from the bottom.

The succeeding packaging machines are designed for an exact length of the spaghetti. The drop hoppers, partly with cascade-type fittings, of the packaging machine can work properly only if all spaghetti have the same length. A spaghetti broken in half can straddle the transfer hoppers and ducts, and clog the latter.

The feeding of products to the packaging machine is regulated, and must be stopped at a full level. To this end, a control system transmits a closing signal to the bottom flap of the emptying hopper. A fork is pushed transversely through the outlet and locks the opening. This device causes little breakage. Nevertheless, the fact that some spaghetti are broken with each closing movement of the slide valve or the like is considered a disadvantage. The spaghetti fragments form a serious source of trouble. Frequent stoppage of the packaging machine reduces the profitability of the entire plant. Today it is considered, particularly in spaghetti products, that even a small number of brokenspaghetti, with the resulting stoppages, is too much.

In another known solution of this type, a large number of vertical hoppers are arranged in rows, side-byside, and are rigidly connected with a rack. The hoppers have the same cascade construction in height as the embodiment just described. A single hopper "extends over the entire height of the silo. In the longitudinal direction of each individual hopper, the latter is subdivided by partitions, with the individual compartments corresponding to the length of a spaghetti and with each compartment having a shutter.

The product is fed directly through the outlet opening to a conveyor belt which can be displaced in a transverse direction. This solution permits the discharge of the product in front of each of the checkerboard compartments. Depending on the requirements of the packaging machine, a slide valve in opened or closed.

The method of operation of this rigid silo construction is identical with that composed of mobile supporting frames. The delicate and fragile spaghetti can be filled almost break-free into a hopper equipped with cascades over a height of several yards. These very large silo units require frequent opening and closing of the bottom shutter, and therefore are even less satisfactory as far as breakage of the spaghetti is concerned.

The rigid arrangement of the storage hoppers also has the adverse effect that the height of the room is not sufficiently utilized for lower hoppers. In the case of high hoppers, however, at least one additional lift-over element, and particularly complicated level regulating devices, are required in each hopper. Each additional manipulation by transferring and the like increases the breakage and reduces the efficiency of the plant. As is known, high cascades are difficult to keep clean.

Many suggestions have been made already for interrupting or dividing the flow of spaghetti. In all these suggestions, individual spaghetti are almost necessarily displaced from their ordered position by fork-shape or blade-shape flaps or slide valves, or even turned in a transverse direction, which subsequently causes the spaghetti to break.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to overcoming the shortages of known silos for cut pasta products, and is a design to attain the following objectives:

The storage must not cause breakage.

It must be possible to withdraw the product in small quantities, when desired.

It must be possible to store an optimum amount of the dried pasta, particularly spaghetti, in a minimum of space.

The filling of the silo must be independent of its emptying.

The filling level control of the stored units should be eliminated as far as possible.

The filling of the silo should take place at a low point, preferably not higher than one-half the usual height.

The silo must meet the sanitation requirements.

In accordance with the invention, these objectives are satisfied by providing each supporting frame with several superposed and individually tiltable buckets. With an only apparently somewhat complicated solution, it is thus possible to solve all the problems underlying the invention.

One of the basic concepts of the invention is not to amass such delicate storage products in large quantities for a quasirational storage to solve, then, the difficult problem of dividing them into individual portions, but to store them in optimum portions. With the solution provided by the present invention, the product is stored in portions formed after a cutting machine and, and this is the essential point, delivered directly to the packaging machine without any unnecessary and harmful transfer, overlifting, or other effort.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the supporting frames are arranged in two superposed stacks.

In order to obtain a particularly easy construction, the I full supporting frames are arranged in the bottom stack while the empty supporting frames are arranged in the top stack. This solution permits shortening the silo and thus the entire length of a pasta line, which point is of particular importance when a new plant is to be installed in an existing building.

In a further development of the invention, an elevator for filling the frames and an elevator for emptying the frames can be assigned to the mobile supporting frames. The individually tiltable buckets can be filled, for example, at a position halfway between the stacks, and also emptied, at a position halfway between the stacks, with the filling and emptying being effected by a simple auxiliary means such as cams or levers. It is not necessary to stop the material flow nor to regulate the height of fill with complicated means. In another very advantageous embodiment, a stepping mechanism is assigned to each stack.

In a further development of the invention, the supporting frames are stored, through the medium of top and bottom rollers, on horizontal rails, after which the supporting frames can be displaced with relatively little effort. In another embodiment, the supporting frames are suspended freely swinging and are displaced with a rope or chain, which is particularly suitable under certain circumstances for smaller plants without automatic displacement devices.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved silo for cut pasta products.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a silo including a plurality of mobile supporting frames arranged in a rack in two stacks.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a silo in which each frame includes a plurality of superposed and individually tiltable buckets.

For an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference is made to the following description of typical embodiments thereof as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the Drawings: FIG. 1 is a schematic elevation view of an entire silo embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of a supporting frame with superposed and individually tiltable buckets;

FIG. 3 is an elevation view .of the supporting frame of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow llI;

FIG. 4 is a partial side elevation view, to a larger scale, illustrating the filling of the buckets;

FIG. 5 illustrates an advantageous embodiment of the invention with a bucket at the start of the emptying position, as well as illustrating, in broken lines, an intermediate tilting position;

FIG. 6 is a partial side elevation view illustrating the bucket of FIG. 5 in the emptying position;

FIG. 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line VII-VII of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a partial elevation view of an advantageous embodiment of a feed mechanism for the top stack;

FIG. 9 is a partial elevation view of an advantageous embodiment of a feed mechanism for the bottom stack;

FIG. 10 is a view illustrating the feed mechanism of FIG. 8 in the engagement position for the displacement of a supporting frame;

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10 but illustrating the feed mechanism during the displacement of the first supporting frame;

FIG. .12 is an end elevation view illustrating another embodiment of the invention with a suspended supporting frame;

FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 12 but illustrating the supporting frame in an inclined position and with a container in the emptying position; and

FIG. 14 is an elevation view illustrating part of a pasta line including the silo for cut pasta.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring first to FIG. 1, a silo, for cut pasta products, is illustrated schematically as including a number of supporting frames 1 arranged to form a stack 2. The supporting frames 1 are displaceable, on rollers 3, along rails 4. On the left side of FIG. 1, a supporting frame 1 is illustrated as being lowered step by step along the left ends of rails 4 by an elevator 5 having supports 6 engaging the rollers 3 of the frame. Above the frame stack 2, there is arranged a frame stack 7.

Each supporting frame 1 has a number of superposed and individually tiltable buckets 8, the supporting frames with the filled buckets being arranged in stack 2 and those with empty bukcets being arranged in stack 7. In a manner similar to the filling of the buckets, the buckets are emptied by utilizing a second elevator 9 with supports 10 to lift individual supporting frames 1" step by step. Each bucket 8 of the supporting frame 1" is brought, in succession, to a tilting device 11 which empties the bucket. After the bottom bucket of supporting frame 1" has been emptied, the supporting frame is placed on the upper rails 12 and pushed toward the stack 7 of other frames with empty buckets.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a supporting frame 1 on an enlarged scale. Supporting frame 1 is formed by a closed frame 13 for supporting five identical buckets. Each bucket 8 is divided lengthwise, by partitions 14, into a large number of compartments, and each bucket is mounted in frame 13 by two pivot pins 15. The center of gravity S of a single bucket 8 is on the left side relative to the pivot pin 15, as seen in FIG. 2. A cam 16 prevents counterclockwise tilting of the bucket 8.

The compartments formed by partitions 14 are slightly longer than a single spaghetti.

Again referring to FIG. 1, the spaghetti arrive from a cutting machine 17, through a bucket conveyor 18 of the carouseltype, in the buckets 8. The optimum portions A contained in individual carousel buckets 19 are gently delivered into buckets 8 through a cascade-type charging hopper 20 with a bottom flap 21. Portions A are fed from the silo through a transfer hopper 24 and a bucket conveyor 26, having buckets 25, directly to the packaging machine, the bucket conveyor 26 being similar to the conveyor 18.

The operation of the silo for cut pasta products will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. The pasta products leaving the cutting machine 17 form portions A, A, A", etc. These portions A are brought, in a certain volume or weight, into the containers 19. The full containers 19 are displaced until they assume the correct position with respect to charging hopper 20, and the portions A are then poured into charging hopper 20 without breaking.

Control means, which have not been shown, lower the supporting frame 1' step by step and bring it into a favorable position so that one bucket 8 after another can be filled from charging hopper 20. For this purpose, the bottom flap 21 of charging hopper 20 is opened and the contents discharged into a bucket 8, after which the bottom flap 21 is closed and transmits an impulse for lowering supporting frame 1' by another step. In this way, the portions A, A", etc., are likewise brought into the corresponding buckets 8. After the top bucket 8 of the supporting frame 1' is filled, the frame is placed on rails 4 and the next supporting frame is moved into the elevator 5. The filled supporting frame 1' can be pushed along rails 4 toward stack 2 with little effort, if necessary by hand.

The entire plant preferably is so designed that the product can be filled into the buckets 8 during an entire night shift, for example. The filling of the buckets 8 is completely independent of their emptying. The emptying of the buckets 8 can be effected much faster than the filling thereof, as is known, with modern heavy duty packaging machines. It is for this reason that an independent elevator 9 is arranged at the right hand end of the rails. The rhythm of elevator 9 is controlled directly by the packaging machines, since individual portions A, A, etc., which correspond naturally to the volume of transfer hopper 24 acting as a storage tank, are called. If the transfer hopper 24 is empty, as shown in FIG. 5, and which can be determined without any complicated means, the elevator 9 is lifted by the distance of one bucket. Up to this time, a single bucket 8 has performed no movement relative to supporting frame 1", since it is held in a stable position by the arrangement of the center of gravity or by the cam 16.

When a full bucket 8 is opposite the tilting device, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a lever 23, which is pivoted on a shaft 27, is turned counterclockwise by a cylinderpiston actuator 28, and strikes against cam 16 as indicated by solid lines in FIG. 5. Normally, some spaghetti would fall out of the bucket 8 even in a minor rotation thereof about its pivots. The top edge of bucket 8, moving downwardly, therefore is displaced downwardly close to a baffle plate 29. This baffle plate 29 holds back the spaghetti in the bucket 8 until cam 16 reaches the bottom edge of baffle 29 and passes therebetween and empties its entire contents into transfer hopper 24.

After the predetermined emptying time, lever 23 is retracted from engagement with cam 16 and, since the center of gravity of bucket 8 is arranged to one side, the bucket has a natural tendency to return into its original orientation. After the last bucket 8 of supporting frame 1" has been emptied, the supporting frame is transferred to the upper rails 12 and moved back to the stack of frames having empty buckets.

The portions A, etc., of the products leaving the cutting machine 17 preferably are of the order of 4 to 10 kg. It is even possible to store the portions in the silo in the exact weight required for packaging. A very advantageous embodiment and a very economical solution is attained by dividing the buckets 8, by portions 14, into about 8 to 10 compartments, with each compartment having a length equal to the cut length of the spaghetti. Even though the pasta could be filled primarily directly from the cutting machine 17 into the buckets 8, it is, in many cases, advantageous to arrange a carousel conveyor 18 between machine 17 and the buckets. Carousel 18 has, in a very advantageous embodiment of the invention, more containers 19 than correspond to the number of compartments of the buckets 8 formed by the partitions 14. In this e'mbodiment, all the compartments of a bucket 8 can be filled in one operation. A particular advantage is that the individual motions can be performed slower and thus more gently, and are easier to control.

In a further development of the invention, the supporting frames 1 are displaced along rails 4 and 12 by a respective upper stepping mechanism shown in FIG. 8 and a respective lower stepping mechanism shown in FIG. 9. In each stepping mechanism, a driving rod 30, mounted at several points and extending over the entire length of the silo, is reciprocated by a piston-cylinder actuator in a selected rhythm and by an amount greater than the distance T. Each supporting frame 1 has a cam plate 32 as well as a follower cam 33. Cam plate 32 has a rising curve leg and a falling curve leg, and cam 33 has an abutment edge 34. Through the medium of bearing pins 35, levers 36 are pivotally mounted on driving rod 30, and each lever has, at its free end, a bearing roller 37 engageable with cam plates 32.

Each lever has a longitudinal reinforcing rib 38 as well as, approximately at its center, an apertured boss or the like 39 receiving a pivot pin 41 mounting a follower 40. Each follower 40 has, at its bottom end, a roller 42 which does not move in the same vertical plane as its followers 37 and cam plate 32, respectively, but is aligned with the vertical longitudinal plane of the earns 33. Each follower 40 also has stop noses or abutments 43 and 44 engageable with the respective longitudinal reinforcing rib 38. Furthermore, each follower 40 can perform only a relatively small angular displacement relative to the associated lever 36, and has, on the right side, a thickened portion 45 which provides a-displacement of the center of gravity toward this right side so that follower 40 tends to turn counterclockwise. Stop nose 45 abuts against reinforcing rib 38 without any force other than gravity.

The lower stepping mechanism differs from the upper stepping mechanism in that an additional tension spring 46 holds each follower 40 in a defined position which, in the upper stepping mechanism, is effected by theweight of the follower alone.

FIGS. 10 and 1 1 show the method of operation of the upper stepping mechanism in two successive phases.

The main function of the stepping mechanism is to displace a single supporting frame, independently of the stack, and thus without any action on the stack itself. Thus, a single supporting frame is to be fed to the full stack and removed therefrom as well as to the empty stack and removed therefrom, so that the motive forces thus can be kept low. The supporting frames are moved in succession and, when a first supporting frame is removed, the stepping mechanism should push the second supporting frame into the position of the first one, the third supporting frame into the position of the second one, and so forth until the entire stack has been displaced by the distance of one supporting frame. In this way, the entire stack always is ready for either filling or emptying.

FIG. 10 shows two supporting frames 1V and 1Vl. As the stepping mechanism is started, actuator 31 pulls driving rod 30 through one step of the distance X to the left. The free end of the first lever 36 is in the bottom position, since there is no cam guidance for its bearing roller 37, and its follower 40 is in a closed position relative to lever 36. Driving rod 30 now pulls supporting frame IV, with lever 36, follower 40 and follower cam 33, to the left. At the same time, the lever 36' is also pulled to the left by driving rod 30 but, since roller 37 is lifted by cam plate 32 and remains in the lifted position, follower 40 is also in a higher position.

As can be seen from FIG. 10, the roller 42' moves over cam 33' without exerting a direct force on the supporting frame lVI, so that this supporting frame remains in its position. After actuator 31 has displaced driving rod 30 by the distance X to the left, the entire stepping mechanism is returned to the right through the same distance X. As roller 37 moves over cam plate 32, lever 36 is lifted and supporting frame 1V remains in its new position. Lever 36 is retracted by the same amount, and roller 37 drops down over the last section of cam plate 32 so that the free end of 36 moves into the bottom position to the right. Follower 40, which is retracted with lever 36, slides over the track of cam 33' until roller 42 reaches the cam engagement position on the right hand side of the cam. After the complete retraction, the cycle starts again.

During the second advance phase, follower 40 moves between cams 33 and 33', and thus does not do any pushing. However, follower 40' engages supporting frame lVI and moves it into the previous position of supporting frame IV. In this way, any number of supporting frames can be pushed forward step by step, but normally only one supporting frame has to be displaced. The stepping mechanism can be kept constantly in motion in normal operation with a minimum expenditure of energy.

For emptying buckets 88, it has been found particularly expedient to provide a baffle plate 29 which has a curvature corresponding to the arc of the descending discharge lip of the container. Furthermore, it is of advantage to provide both bucket 8 and baffle plate 29 with intermeshing teeth, as shown in FIG. 7, extending in the direction of tilting of the buckets 8. Jamming of the top spaghetti between a bucket 8 and baffle plate 29 thus can be prevented, and additionally, the bucket and the baffle plate remain in exactly parallel relation. In addition, relatively rough manufacturing tolerances can be maintained with this arrangement.

The supporting frames naturally can have different forms, as can also the buckets 8. Thus, FIGS. 12 and 13 show a supporting frame 50 with buckets 51. Supporting frame 50 has a roller 52 at its bottom end and is guided on a hook 53. This solution is more suitable for smaller silos, and here too a large number of frames are arranged in stacks, similar to the embodiment shown schematically in FIG. 1. A single frame can be brought into the required position with known lifting mechanism which may be already present. Of great advantage in this arrangement is the possible inclined position of the entire frame, either for filling or for emptying, as is represented by a bucket 51' shown in the emptying position.

FIG. 14 shows a particularly advantageous embodiment of a silo in accordance with the invention. Pasta products are conducted from a dryer T to a cutting machine C which delivers portions A over a carousel K1 directly into silo S. A second carousel K2 takes portions A of the silo and feeds them through a first hopper into the packaging machine P. As can be seen from FIG. 14, the head room is economically utilized by silo S, and the portions nevertheless can be fed with simple means at a favorable height into the silo or removed therefrom. The individual portions are poured a few times only through minimum heights, and can always stay close together. Spaghetti breakage thus is almost completely prevented and, consequently, difficulties and stoppages are almost completely prevented.

The silo itself can be positioned in an atmosphere suitable for dried spaghetti, or the full stacks can be at least surrounded with a protection film. The invention silo can also be used with great advantage for other easily breaking forms of pasta, such as twisted pasta, etc. It is particularly suitable for delicate snacks, since the problems here are partly the same as for pasta products proper.

It is within the purview of the invention to construct the buckets 8 of an air-permeable material, for example, of a sieve netting, or of an insulating material.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

l. A silo for cut pasta products comprising, in combination, a rack; a plurality of mobile supporting frames arranged in said rack in two stacks, each frame including a plurality of superposed and individually tiltable buckets; a bucket filling device cooperable with the frames of one of said stacks; a bucket emptying device cooperable with the frames of the other of said stacks; means for transferring said mobile frames to and from said rack and means supporting said frames for movement successively between said stacks and past said bucket filling and emptying devices.

2. A silo, as claimed in claim 1, in which said supporting frames are arranged in two superposed stacks.

3. A silo, according to claim 2, in which said supporting frames are supported inclined to a vertical plane.

4. A silo, as claimed in claim 3, in which each supporting frame includes top and bottom supporting rollers.

5. A silo, as claimed in claim 1, in which at least the emptying side of each tiltable bucket is arranged, in the rest position, substantially parallel to the associated supporting frame.

6. A silo, as claimed in claim 1, in which the tilting axis of each bucket is displaced laterally from the center of gravity of the associated bucket.

7. A silo, as claimed in claim 1, including partitions dividing each bucket longitudinally into a plurality of compartments.

8. A silo, as claimed in claim 1, in which said bucket emptying device includes a baffle plate operable to prevent material falling out of a bucket while the bucket is being tilted to a bucket emptying position.

9. A silo, as claimed in claim 8, in which said baffle plate is engageable with a pouring lip of each bucket and has a curvature corresponding to the arc of movement of the pouring lip.

10. A silo, as claimed in claim 8, in which said baffle plate and said buckets are formed with intermeshing projections and recesses extending in the direction of tilting movement of the buckets.

11. A silo, as claimed in claim 7, including a first bucket conveyor forming part of said bucket filling device and a second bucket conveyor forming part of said bucket emptying device; each of said first and second bucket conveyors having a number of buckets larger than the number of compartments formed in each bucket by said partitions.

12. A silo, as claimed in claim 1, in which each of said filling and emptying devices includes a respective elevator.

13. A silo, as claimed in claim 7, in which said filling means is operable to simultaneously fill all the compartments of a bucket.

14. A silo, as claimed in claim 2, in which siad frame supporting means comprises horizontally extending rails; an upper stepping mechanism operatively associated with the upper stack of frames and operable to displace the frames thereof along said rails; and a lower stepping mechanism operatively associated with the lower stack of frames and operable to displace the stacks thereof along said rails.

15. A silo, as claimed in claim 14, in which each stepping mechanism includes pivoted levers having cam followers pivotally mounted thereon.

16. A silo, as claimed in claim 15, in which each supporting frame has a cam plate acting on said levers and has a cam operatively engageable with said followers.

17. A silo, as claimed in claim 1, in which said frames have mounting means at their upper ends arranged to mount said frames for free swinging; said frames having guide rollers at their bottom ends. 

1. A silo for cut pasta products compriSing, in combination, a rack; a plurality of mobile supporting frames arranged in said rack in two stacks, each frame including a plurality of superposed and individually tiltable buckets; a bucket filling device cooperable with the frames of one of said stacks; a bucket emptying device cooperable with the frames of the other of said stacks; means for transferring said mobile frames to and from said rack and means supporting said frames for movement successively between said stacks and past said bucket filling and emptying devices.
 2. A silo, as claimed in claim 1, in which said supporting frames are arranged in two superposed stacks.
 3. A silo, according to claim 2, in which said supporting frames are supported inclined to a vertical plane.
 4. A silo, as claimed in claim 3, in which each supporting frame includes top and bottom supporting rollers.
 5. A silo, as claimed in claim 1, in which at least the emptying side of each tiltable bucket is arranged, in the rest position, substantially parallel to the associated supporting frame.
 6. A silo, as claimed in claim 1, in which the tilting axis of each bucket is displaced laterally from the center of gravity of the associated bucket.
 7. A silo, as claimed in claim 1, including partitions dividing each bucket longitudinally into a plurality of compartments.
 8. A silo, as claimed in claim 1, in which said bucket emptying device includes a baffle plate operable to prevent material falling out of a bucket while the bucket is being tilted to a bucket emptying position.
 9. A silo, as claimed in claim 8, in which said baffle plate is engageable with a pouring lip of each bucket and has a curvature corresponding to the arc of movement of the pouring lip.
 10. A silo, as claimed in claim 8, in which said baffle plate and said buckets are formed with intermeshing projections and recesses extending in the direction of tilting movement of the buckets.
 11. A silo, as claimed in claim 7, including a first bucket conveyor forming part of said bucket filling device and a second bucket conveyor forming part of said bucket emptying device; each of said first and second bucket conveyors having a number of buckets larger than the number of compartments formed in each bucket by said partitions.
 12. A silo, as claimed in claim 1, in which each of said filling and emptying devices includes a respective elevator.
 13. A silo, as claimed in claim 7, in which said filling means is operable to simultaneously fill all the compartments of a bucket.
 14. A silo, as claimed in claim 2, in which siad frame supporting means comprises horizontally extending rails; an upper stepping mechanism operatively associated with the upper stack of frames and operable to displace the frames thereof along said rails; and a lower stepping mechanism operatively associated with the lower stack of frames and operable to displace the stacks thereof along said rails.
 15. A silo, as claimed in claim 14, in which each stepping mechanism includes pivoted levers having cam followers pivotally mounted thereon.
 16. A silo, as claimed in claim 15, in which each supporting frame has a cam plate acting on said levers and has a cam operatively engageable with said followers.
 17. A silo, as claimed in claim 1, in which said frames have mounting means at their upper ends arranged to mount said frames for free swinging; said frames having guide rollers at their bottom ends. 